D.A.R.E. Program

D.A.R.E. teaches children basic decision making skills and how to effectively deal with peer pressure in order to stay away from drugs.

The Romeoville Police Department supports the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. The Department has a police officer teaching full-time D.A.R.E. to the 5th grade students at Romeoville grade schools.

G.R.E.A.T. Program

The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program is an evidence-based, national and international gang and violence prevention program that has been building trust between law enforcement and communities for almost 30 years.

The G.R.E.A.T. program is designed for children in the years immediately before the prime ages for introduction into gangs and delinquent behavior, typically as youths begin middle school.

The G.R.E.A.T. program has three primary goals:

Teach youths to avoid gang membership

Prevent violence and criminal activity

Assist youths in developing positive relationships with law enforcement

The program is a cognitive-based officer-instructed curriculum that teaches students life skills such as conflict resolution, responsibility, appreciating cultural diversity, and goal setting. All of these skills are presented with an emphasis on how crime affects victims and how youths can meet basic social needs without resorting to joining a gang. The components include a 13-lesson middle school curriculum, a 6-lesson elementary school curriculum, a summer component and a families component.

More than 13,000 sworn officers from around the United States and various Central American countries have been trained and certified to teach the curricula.